Edible, biodegradable food and beverage container

ABSTRACT

An edible, biodegradable container that includes an edible or biodegradable sealant preventing liquids or moisture from foods or beverages stored therein from being absorbed into the container is disclosed. The sealant allows the edible container to contain liquids, even when the liquids are stored for extended periods of time within the container. The sealant may be applied to the interior of the container only, or may be applied to the entire container. The edible container may be configured in any size and shape to hold a plurality of different foods or beverages such as cups, mugs, shot glasses, bowls, or bottles. The edible container may be formed with high side walls, allowing it to hold a beverage and used like a traditional drinking cup or mug. The edible container is configured to be eaten during or after consumption of the food or liquid stored therein.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.61/708,676, filed on Oct. 2, 2012, which is incorporated herein in itsentirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present application relates to an edible container, and moreparticularly to an edible, biodegradable container configured to holdboth food and beverages.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Edible servers for foods are well known in the prior art. Thesetypically comprise a dough based composition that is baked or otherwisecooked to form a hardened shell. Most often, solid foods or pastes arethen placed into the edible shell for consumption. For example, icecream cones have been made of pretzel or dough materials, and pastrieshave been filled with chocolate. However, these containers can oftenbecome soggy or break apart when filled with a liquid for more than abrief period of time. This problem can also occur not just with liquids,but with other foods that introduce moisture into the edible container,such as yogurts, jams, and certain cheeses.

Additionally, these prior edible servers typically contain low wallsthat limit their use. Because these prior art containers become soggyafter absorbing liquid or moisture, they begin to lose their shape andintegrity. Thus, these prior art edible containers are not typicallyhigh-walled containers that could be used to hold a beverage. Instead,they have taken the form of low-walled bread bowls for soups or chilithat become soggy and only hold food for a limited time, and not ahigh-walled container in the form of a traditional drinking glass forliquids.

What is needed is an edible container that is sealed, with an edible orbiodegradable sealant, on the inside to keep liquids or moisture fromsoaking into the container even when stored therein for extended periodsof time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present application is directed to an edible, biodegradablecontainer that includes an edible or biodegradable sealant preventingliquids or moisture from foods or beverages stored therein from beingabsorbed into the container, even when stored for extended periods oftime. The sealant may be applied to the interior of the container only,or may be applied to the entire container. The edible container may beconfigured in any size and shape to hold a plurality of different foodsor beverages such as cups, mugs, shot glasses, bowls, or bottles. Thetop of the edible container may remain open, or a lid of edible materialmay be included. The edible container is configured to be eaten duringor after consumption of the food or liquid stored therein. In someembodiments, a portion of the food or beverage may be allowed to soakinto the edible container over time, adding to the flavor. Seasoningsmay be used in or on the edible material of the container to enhanceflavor as well.

In order to form the shape of the container, a mold may be used with theedible material. The edible material may be cut to a size to fit themold, and then applied and formed around the mold. Alternatively, theedible material may be rolled into a coil shape, and then wrapped aroundthe mold. The shape of the edible container may also be formed withoutthe use of a mold. Once the edible material is in the desired shape forthe container, it may be baked or otherwise allowed to set. Thecontainer may also be molded into a final shape using dough extrusion ordough wrapping, similar to the coiling process. The edible materialcould also be molded into the final shape for the container by squeezingthe dough between male and female molds, or shaping it on a spinningwheel such as those used for pottery or lathe work. Allowing the ediblematerial to set into the final shape may be done by, for example,baking, frying hot air frying, boiling, gluing using edible glue such asegg shite or binding agents, pressure cooking, or dehydrating. Theprocess of forming the edible container may be done by hand, or may bedone as part of a mass-production process using machinery. Once thecontainer is in the final shape, the food or liquid may be added.

According to some embodiments, the edible material used for thecontainer may complement the food or beverage stored therein. Forexample, the edible container may be made of pretzel dough and thebeverage may be beer or a soft drink. As another example, the ediblecontainer could be made out of granola and could hold a food substancesuch as yogurt or jam.

Using edible, biodegradable materials for food and beverage containershas the added benefit of reducing the amount of plastics used and sentto landfills. In addition, users can enjoy the novelty of drinking oreating out of a container made of edible material, such as a cup made ofpretzel.

The edible, biodegradable container is designed to contain a beverage orfood substance and also be eaten, during or after consumption of thefood or beverage therein. The container eliminates plastic used fortypical beverage containers, and allows for consumption of food in anovel way while drinking.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an edible container with high side wallsthat may be used to hold a beverage.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of an edible container formed by wrappingcoils of dough around a mold.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of the edible container when filled with abeverage.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of a user drinking a beverage from the ediblecontainer.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of an edible container in a small cup shapeand filled with yogurt.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of an edible container in a bowl shape.

FIG. 7 is an illustration of an edible container in a barrel shape witha closed top and bottom, and containing a food substance.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The edible, biodegradable container of the present invention isconfigured to hold liquids or foods with high moisture content forextended periods of time without becoming soggy or breaking apart. Anedible sealant may be used to coat in the interior of the container, ormay be applied to the entire container, to prevent liquids or moisturefrom soaking in. Once formed and sealed, the edible container is filledwith a beverage or food substance. The user drinks or eats the substancewhile also eating, or before eating, the edible container at theirdesired pace. The user may eat the entire edible container, or may throwaway all or part of the edible container knowing it is biodegradable.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a completed biodegradable, ediblecontainer. The edible container 1 is formed from an edible material in asingle structure. The edible container 1 contains a base portion andside walls 2 designed to confine the beverage or food held within thecontainer. The side walls 2 are fitted securely to the base, eitherduring a baking process or through the use of an edible material thatholds them together. For example, a honey or other syrupy material thatsets may be used to join the base and side walls. Alternatively, thebase and sidewalls may be formed from one continuous piece of material.As seen in FIG. 1, the edible container 1 may be in the shape of a cupor mug and the side walls 2 may be high in order to hold beveragestherein. High side walls may include walls with a height greater thanthe diameter of the base of the edible container. For example, theedible container 1 may be a cup about 6″ tall with a 3″ diameter, andthe edible material forming the bottom and side walls 2 may have a ⅓″thickness. An edible 3 sealant is applied to the interior of the ediblecontainer 1. The rim 5 of the edible container may be seasoned or coatedwith flavorings to enhance enjoyment of the food or beverage containedtherein. For example, if the edible container is made of a pretzelmaterial, the rim 5 may be coated with salt. If the edible container ismade of a cookie or cake material, the rim 5 may be coated with achocolate, vanilla or other flavored frosting. Such seasonings orflavorings may also be applied to the exterior of the side walls 2 ofthe container 1, and may also be applied to the interior of thecontainer or the base of the container. As shown in FIG. 1, when theedible material is pretzel, a salt seasoning 6 may be applied to theouter surface. A logo, pattern, or design 4 may be baked or otherwiseimprinted into the side walls 2 of the container, the base of thecontainer, or a top of the container. A logo, pattern or design that isprinted on a biodegradable material may also be applied to the sidewalls, top or base of the container. The imprinting may be performedusing a laser to etch or burn the logo, pattern, or design into thewalls of edible container.

To make the edible container, the edible material is chosen and preparedso that it is in a flexible form. The edible material may then be cutinto various shapes depending on the desired final form the ediblecontainer, and affixed to a mold. For example, if a user wants to makean edible cup shaped container, the edible material may be cut into arectangle and a circle and affixed around and under a cylindrical moldto form the side walls and base. The different pieces of the ediblematerial may be pinched or otherwise joined together while on the moldto make the shape of the edible container. Alternatively, a user maymake one or more very long strips of edible material, such as pretzeldough. These strips may then be coiled around the mold from the “lip” atthe bottom to the top, and sealed in the center to make one tightlysealed edible container. Instead of multiple pieces, the edible materialmay also be formed of one continuous piece that is wrapped, folded,coiled or otherwise shaped around the mold. Once it has been formedaround the mold, the edible material is set or hardened into the finalform of the container, such as by baking, frying, hot air frying,boiling, gluing using edible glue such as egg white or binding agents,pressure cooking, or dehydrating. According to some aspects of theinvention, an edible material such as a pretzel or cookie dough could beplaced onto a mold, and then placed into an oven to bake with the open,top end facing down. After baking, the edible container is allowed tocool and then the mold is removed. A sealant substance may then beapplied as described in more detail below.

According to some aspects of the invention, the edible container may beformed with pre-defined areas designed to break off of the rest of thecontainer without cracking or weakening the entire container. Thesepre-defined areas may be formed using breakaway lines such as a seriesof small indentations or perforations, or may be formed using indentedcreases along the outside edge of the edible container. Thesepre-defined areas allow a user to break off smaller pieces of thecontainer for consumption while maintaining the integrity of the ediblecontainer as a whole, such that it continues to hold any remaining foodor beverage. FIG. 2 is an image of an edible container 1, showing theinterior space and sealant 3 in more detail. For illustrative purposesonly, the edible material is shown to be pretzel, but other types ofmaterials could form the edible container shown such as cake, bread,pita, blended and dried veggies and fruits, cereals, cookie, or granola.The edible container illustrated in FIG. 2 may be formed as a cup madeof traditional recipe soft pretzel dough. The dough may then be wrappedaround a cup-shaped mold like a coil, glazed and then baked. The moldmay be removed either before or after the baking process. After theedible material has been baked and is in the final form for thecontainer, a sealant material 3 may be applied at least to the interiorof the container 1. According to some embodiments, the sealant may becoconut oil applied to the inside of the container. After applying thecoconut oil, or other sealant material, the container 1 may be put in afreezer to harden the coconut oil so that it will act as sealant to keepliquids or moisture from foods with high moisture content from leakinginto edible container walls and base and making the container soggy orbreak apart. The sealant may absorb slightly into the edible material onthe inside of the container before hardening. In order to ensure asufficient seal, the process of applying a layer of sealant and freezingto harden to the sealant may be repeated multiple times. Depending onthe sealant used, the sealant should stay in hardened form even when acold beverage is put into the edible container 1. For example, a coconutoil sealant will stay hard as long as beverages colder than the 77degree Fahrenheit coconut oil melting point are used. A user may choosedifferent sealant materials based on the type and temperature beverageor food they plan to use in the edible container. Although the use of afreezer has been described above, sealant may be allowed to set at anytemperature above their melting point. However, the use of a freezer orother chilling environment can reduce the time necessary for the sealantto set.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an edible container 1 using a pretzelmaterial with a beverage contained therein. As shown in FIG. 3, thecontainer 1 may be partially consumed as the beverage is also consumed.FIG. 4 is an illustration of a user drinking a beverage from the ediblecontainer 1.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of an edible container using granola as theedible material. The edible granola container may be formed around amold to provide the desired container shape. For example, as shown inFIG. 5, the edible granola container may be formed around a small cupshaped mold and filled with an edible food substance such as yogurt. Asshown in FIG. 6, the granola container may also be formed using a bowlshaped mold. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the edible containers of thepresent invention may be formed with vertical walls, or they may havewalls that taper from the bottom to the top. The edible granolacontainers may take any shape by using the appropriate molds, or by handforming the containers. In some aspects of the invention, the granolamay be pressure molded and either baked or allowed to cold set. A sprayon sealant may be used to coat the exterior and interior of the ediblecontainer, providing additional structural support.

As described above, the edible container may be formed of any ediblematerial that will hold its shape, such as hard or soft pretzel dough,cookie dough, cake, cereals or granola. After the edible container hasset in its final form, a sealant such as an oil, glaze, or sugarycompound may be applied to the interior of the container, or to theentire container. Preferably, the sealant is also made out of an edible,biodegradable substance. For example, the sealant may comprise at leastone of, or a mixture of, coconut oil, palm oil, sugar glaze, honeyglaze, hydrophobic edible compound, chocolate compound, yogurt, shellac,pectin glaze, egg white glaze, or other edible material that will set toa hardened form. After the sealant has set, a seasoning may be appliedto the container to enhance the flavor. The seasonings may be selectedbased on the edible material used for the container and on the food orbeverage that will be placed into the container for consumption.Alternatively, the seasonings may be applied to the edible materialbefore baking or setting, and the sealant may be applied over the top ofany seasoning on the interior of the container.

As seen in FIGS. 1-7, the biodegradable, edible container 1 may have astructure comprising a base and high side walls 2. The implementation ofhigh side walls allows the edible container to be used for holdingbeverages. The base is fitted securely to the high side wall 2, eitherthrough joining the dough and baking them together or by using asubstance between the side walls and base to hold them together. Whenthe edible container is formed using the coiled construction mentionedabove, the base and the sidewall are formed from one or more strands ofedible material, making the entire container from one piece. The samesubstance used for the sealant may be used to join the base and sidewalls. The side walls width may match the circumference of any givensize container bottom, and the height may be selected based on thedesired use for the edible container. For example, the container maytake the shape of a shot glass that is less than 2 inches high, a cup ordrinking glass, a large mug that is 15 inches or taller, or a bowl.Balance and structural stability will play a factor in the rightdimensions for each size edible container. The width of the containermay vary depending on strength and hardness of edible material used toform the container, and on the user's preference.

The sealant 3 applied to the container plugs up any porous surface ofthe edible material so any beverage or food placed into the ediblecontainer will not leak from inside the container into the ediblematerial until a specific length of time has elapsed. The amount of timethat the sealant material will keep the beverage or food from leakinginto the container may be dependent on the type or mixture of sealantsused, the number of coatings applied, storage conditions, outsidetemperature, temperature of the cup, and beverage or food temperature.The sealant may be applied liberally and evenly to all of the inside ofthe cup and then allowed to harden or set by cooling it to below itsmelting point. In order to ensure a sufficient seal, the sealantmaterial may be applied in several coatings, with each coating allowedto harden or set before the next coating is applied. As an alternativeto the edible sealants, a piece of biodegradable paper (in the shape ofthe interior of the container), may be placed in the container beforethe beverage or other food substance is poured in. This creates a muchlonger sealant time, as provides the user with the option to take it outand any time to let the beverage soak in. The biodegradable paper may besliced at the bottom and overlapped so it unfolds during removal as toprevent spillage. The same type of biodegradable paper can also be usedto handle the edible during storage, purchase and transfer to customersfor safety and health reasons, and to minimize materials used overall.

A seasoning or other flavoring garnish may be applied to the rim orwalls of the edible container. The seasoning or flavoring could beapplied to the entire edible container, both inside and outside. Theseasoning or flavorings may also be applied around the top rim of theedible container, like using salt to rim a margarita glass. In order tohave the seasoning or flavoring stick to the container, a glazed layerof either egg white or water (for example) may be applied to thecontainer. Alternatively, the seasoning or flavoring may be pressed intoor coated onto the edible material before or after setting. Theseasonings or flavorings used may depend on the type of edible material,and may be chosen to complement the taste of the edible container andthe food or beverage contained therein. For example, chocolate frostingmay be used with a cookie container holding milk or grains of saltapplied to a pretzel container holding beer. The seasonings orflavorings used may include honey mustard, garlic, sesame, or othercommon flavorings. For pretzel containers, both hard and soft pretzeldough may be used with various seasonings. As part of the process ofmaking an edible pretzel container, and alkaline bath may be used tohelp seasonings or flavor more readily adhere to the container. The rawpretzel dough may be conveyed to an alkaline bath filled with an aqueoussolution of either sodium carbonate or lye. The bath may have an overallconcentration of 1% sodium hydroxide, and may be held at a temperatureof around 200 degrees Fahrenheit. The raw pretzel dough may be submergedin the bath, and may float when finished. The alkaline bath gelatinizesthe starch on the pretzel's surface making it gummy and sticky, allowingthe salt to adhere more readily.

FIG. 7 illustrates an alternative embodiment wherein the ediblecontainer with a food or beverage filling that may be enclosed at boththe top and the bottom. As shown in FIG. 7, the edible container may beconstructed in the same manner as described above, but with both a baseand a top being joined to the side walls. In some embodiments, the topportion may be baked separately from the rest of the edible container,and then joined after the food or beverage has been placed inside.Alternatively, the top may be baked or set with the rest of thecontainer. When the top and the rest of the container are baked or settogether, the food or beverage may be inserted before the ediblecontainer sets or may be injected into the container after it has set.When injected after the container has been set, a syringe or needle maybe used to introduce the food or beverage filling into the interior ofthe container.

As mentioned above, the outside of the edible container may be formedwith logos or designs integrated into the edible material itself. Theselogos or designs may be formed, for example, by baking them into theoutside edge. Alternatively, the logo or design may be formed by havingvarious colored ingredients arranged in patterns to form the designs orlogos on the outside of the container. A mold may be configured to holdingredients of a certain color and press them into or against theoutside of the container. For example, a mold may hold dark coloredchocolate chips and allow them to pressed into the exterior of acontainer made of granola. According to one aspect of the invention, themolds may have interchangeable plates that allow for different logos ordesigns to be used on the same general mold machine. A logo may be cutout of a solid mold, with the dough or other edible material expandinginto a space in the mold to take the shape of the logo or design. Whenthe mold is removed, the logo or design would then protrude from theside walls of the edible container, creating a three-dimensional image.Engraving, such as laser engraving, may be used to increase the depthand detail of the images, while also reducing the materials required toswitch plates and operate the molds to create different logos ordesigns. An edible logo may also be printed with edible ink onto anedible label, and attached to the surface of the edible container. Inaddition, a biodegradable label may be affixed to the outside of thecontainer. Such a biodegradable label may allow the edible containers tobe sold at sporting events, where vendors may not be allowed to directlytouch the food products. The label may be made from biodegradable thinpaper or cotton, and can be placed around the outer circumference of theedible container. The label may be formed of one or more pieces thatwrap around the sides and bottom of the edible container that can thenbe peeled off when a person wants to consume the container.

As described herein, the edible container may be formed from pretzel,cake, cookie dough, cereals, or granola. The pretzel container of thepresent invention may be used to store, and allow a user to consume,various foods and beverages including, but not limited to, beer, water,soda, smoothie, cheese, chili, ice cream, juice, iced tea, dippingsauces, fruits or fruit sauces, vegetables, soups, salads, or pastas.The granola container may be used to store, and allow a user to consume,various foods and beverages including, but not limited to, yogurt,smoothie, pudding, Jell-O, tapioca, juices, meal replacement drinks,polish pudding, kisiel, horchata, lemonade, coffee, tea, pie fillings,bread puddings, crème brulee, water, soda, vegetables, fruits, oatmeal,cereals, or nut butters. Other edible container and filling combinationsmay include bagel containers with cream cheese fillings, pita cups withhummus, tabouli, cheese or vegetable fillings, or boba cup containerswith iced tea, smoothie or juice fillings.

We hereby claim:
 1. An edible container for holding food or beverages,the edible container comprising: a base; side walls connected to thebase; a top rim formed from the tops of the side walls; and abiodegradable sealant material, wherein the biodegradable sealantmaterial coats at least a portion of the interior of the container andprevents liquids from being absorbed into the edible material.
 2. Theedible container of claim 1, wherein the edible container is configuredin the shape of a cup with high side walls, wherein the high side wallshave a height greater than the diameter of the base.
 3. The ediblecontainer of claim 1, further comprising seasonings or flavoringscoating at least a portion of the exterior of the edible container. 4.The edible container of claim 1, wherein the biodegradable sealantmaterial comprises a plurality of coatings of biodegradable sealantmaterial.
 5. The edible container of claim 1, wherein the biodegradablesealant material is removable.
 6. The edible container of claim 1,wherein the biodegradable sealant material is edible.
 7. The ediblecontainer of claim 1, wherein the biodegradable sealant materialcomprises at least one of coconut oil, palm oil, sugar glaze, honeyglaze, hydrophobic edible compound, chocolate compound, yogurt, shellac,pectin glaze, egg white glaze, or mixtures thereof.
 8. The ediblecontainer of claim 1, further comprising predefined breakaway areas inthe side walls formed of a series of indentations or perforations,wherein the predefined breakaway areas are designed to break off fromthe edible container without cracking or weakening the entire container.9. A method of forming an edible container, the method comprising:providing a mold having the desired shape of the container; providing aflexible, edible material; forming the edible material around the mold,including forming side walls and a base; allowing the edible material toset into a final container form; and coating at least a portion of theinterior of the final container form with a biodegradable sealantmaterial, wherein the biodegradable sealant material prevents liquidsfrom being absorbed into the edible material.
 10. The method of formingan edible container of claim 8, wherein forming the edible materialaround the mold comprises cutting the edible material into multiplepieces and joining the pieces together on the mold.
 11. The method offorming an edible container of claim 8, wherein forming the ediblematerial around the mold comprises shaping a single piece of ediblematerial around the mold.
 12. The method of forming an edible containerof claim 8, wherein coating at least a portion of the interior of thefinal form comprises applying a plurality of coatings as layers,allowing each layer to set before a subsequent layer is applied.
 13. Theedible container of claim 8, wherein the biodegradable sealant materialis removable.
 14. The edible container of claim 8, wherein thebiodegradable sealant material is edible.
 15. The method of forming anedible container of claim 8, wherein the biodegradable sealant materialcomprises at least one of coconut oil, palm oil, sugar glaze, honeyglaze, hydrophobic edible compound, chocolate compound, yogurt, shellac,pectin glaze, egg white glaze, or mixtures thereof.
 16. The method offorming an edible container of claim 8, wherein forming the side wallscomprises forming high side walls have a height greater than thediameter of the base.
 17. The method of forming an edible container ofclaim 8, further comprising coating at least a portion of the exteriorof the edible container with seasonings or flavorings.
 18. The method offorming an edible container of claim 8, further comprising formingpredefined breakaway areas in the side walls by including a series ofindentations or perforations, wherein the predefined breakaway areas aredesigned to break off from the edible container without cracking orweakening the entire container.